Herring Era Museum

The final stop on FTP´s Dalvík-Siglufjorður adventure was at the Herring Era Museum. Edda Björk welcomed fellows by giving a brief overview of the beautiful village of Siglufjordur, the importance of herring to the community and the construction of the museum. A talking point was the historical importance of herring girls which started the discussion of gender equality in Iceland. The fellows walked around the museum to discover the buildings which used to house the herring business and workers in the golden years of herring between 1940s to 1960s. On the ground floor was a focus on fishing and salting processes with artifacts, historical photographs and texts bringing history to life. Further exhibits described the export history of herring products and the administration of the industry. The floor above showcased a typical herring workers house which enables the fellows to experience the rich flavour of living in Siglufjordur during those times. The fellows moved on to the exhibition in the Boathouse which was constructed by Crown Prince Håkon of Norway in 2004. This exhibition recreates an impression of a typical North Iceland herring port during the golden era. Here the fellows found boats of various types and sizes along with plenty of visual material about the fishery. The fellows left the museum with a very strong impression of the historical significance of herring fisheries in Iceland.